Suggestions for plantings under a tree

smom40(5MO)June 5, 2005

I have a tree in my front yard that has plantings that I do not like. Some weird ivy that grows in beehive mounds and grows up the tree. Some patchy groundcover, some peonies and a three others that might be some sort of coneflower.

I would like to extend the bed and make a more visibly appealing space. However, I don't know what to plant under there.

Eastern exposure, zone 5b. High heat in the summer and variable high humidity until August when it's constantly humid.

Front and one side of the bed gets about four hours of full sun. The other side and back of the bed gets about 8 hours of full sun. Then the whole bed is blocked by the tree and the house.

Any suggestions for plantings? I want to rip the ivy and the patchy groundcover. The peonies are pretty and well-established, they are worth keeping. I'm neutral on the coneflowers as they're small and I haven't seen them flower yet.

SMom, are you looking for tall or short plants? Also, perrenials or annuals?
Lambs Ears are nice, but they take over. They produce a tall purple flower.
How about Impatiens?
Or hosta?
There are a million varieties to choose from, lol..Toni

I think you can't go wrong with hosta or impatiens.....and there are some heuchera (coral bells) that I've seen in these situations. The purple/red leafed heuchera add a nice contrast to the hosta plants. You can find a lot of the purple/red leafed heuchera at the Home Depots/Lowes. I've seen "Purple Palace" just to mention one.

I've got two neighbors who've done this to thier trees. The first planted a large variety of peonies around her tree then used large grey stone as a border. I loved the look of it. Very classy.The other did about the same thing, but used large, leafy plants that were non-flowering.

I would recommend a varity of hardy geraniums too since you get so much sun.
Though I love hostas, I wouldn't recommend them for you since you get more sun than most hostas like.